Hai Fidelity

LM. C: Super Glitter Loud Box

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Take Maya, formerly a guitarist for MIYAVI, and add Aiji, formerly a guitarist for Pierrot. The result is LM.C, which stands for Lovely Mocochang.com, a “New Century electrorock” band that debuted in late 2006. On November 5, 2008, the group released not one, but two full-length albums. Gimmical Impact features mostly new songs while Super Glitter Loud Box contains songs from their first mini-album, Glitter Loud Box, as well as a few new tunes. According to the duo, Super Glitter Loud Box would be the LM.C 101 class everyone should take before moving onto the newer material.

A fully-instrumental electronic track originally released on Glitter Loud Box, “NO. 9,” opens SGLB. It opens with a beat very similar to Queen's “We Will Rock You.” Most people will probably gloss right over the extra “hand clap” part and think it is an exact copy of the Queen song. About a third of the way into “NO. 9,” a strange sound, possibly from a filtered keyboard, plays the famous “Ode to Joy” section of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on top of the thumping beat. While it is an interesting combination, it's also a little off-putting. That little voice in the back of your mind keeps telling you that a classical piece deserves to be treated better than this, even if it is intriguing.

Before “NO. 9” finishes completely, the last few seconds of the track toss you into “Rock the LM.C.” This rough rock/hip-hop hybrid, used as the first ending song for Red Garden, is the type of song that you either love or hate. With a fairly typical hard rock instrumental track mixed with rapping vocals, the song does have a bit of a Limp Bizkit feel to it. If you hate that type of music, you're likely to hate this as well. However, it's not a particularly terrible song on its own.

The second song on the album from GLB is “Loud_Mucker_Complex.” A throbbing bass takes the lead, almost completely overpowering the vocals. Both the guitar and drums make valid attempts to relieve the pressure from the vocals but it isn't enough. As the title tells us, the song is definitely loud in a good way. Though pumping up the volume on the vocals a little might have made the song a little less one-sided.

Another ending theme from Red Garden, “OH MY JULIET.,” takes the fourth position. The band slides slightly into the pop genre with a flowing chorus that pleads for love. Once it heads back into verses, however, the rock picks up with drum-led instrumentals and harder vocals. While I'm not sure if it is the intended message, the song is a perfect rock tune for the story of Romeo & Juliet.

Heading into the electronica side of things, “@FUNNY PHANTOM@,” roars in with an unrelenting electric guitar leading the way. For the most part, the song is actually quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, this song, like many others, suffers from a terrible bridge. The one part of the song that is supposed to be a smooth transition from one sound into another is, instead, an uneven and annoying section. Luckily, the rest of the song is so strong that it is worth putting up with that one flaw in order to enjoy the rest of it.

While not quite as electronica as the previous song, “mR.century” wonderfully blends hip-hop and rock with just a splash of electronica. Once again, the lovely deep bass takes the lead, giving the song a depth that an electric guitar isn't capable of carrying. Meanwhile, the electronica sounds are spread sparingly so they don't overwhelm the other elements. When all of this comes together, you get pummeled with a variety of different sounds that somehow fuse into absolute perfection.

Starting off a slew of Glitter Loud Box re-releases, “CRAZY A GO GO” is a rather short song, clocking in at almost one minute. As such, it is little more than a cacophony of sounds that mostly consists of some drums, a rather loud electric guitar and a vocal line that simply says “Crazy.” Rather than being a sort of break in the album, transitioning us from one section to another, the song is nothing more than annoying. It's a good thing it's so short.

At the halfway point in the album, we are given, “METALLY,” a heavy metal-inspired tune. With deep, growly vocals, this could have easily traveled into the world of the terrible. Yet the amazing guitar licks and awesome combination of the other instruments in the background manage to save the song from itself. Once we head into the chorus, even the vocals manage to come back from mediocrity. Considering this isn't an awful song, it's likely to grow on you the more you listen to it. Then you'll be wondering why you didn't like it in the first place.

In a stark contrast to the previous song, “Boon!!” is probably as close to a pop song as LM.C will get. The gently-flowing, happy-go-lucky lyrics mix wonderfully with the cheerful instrumentals. Don't let this pop label stop you from loving the song. After all, it's not as stomach churning as some of the bubblegum pop out there. There is just a bit more glee in this song, which shows the band is capable of more than just ‘emo.’

Slowing the pace down slightly, “-SORAiro Namida-“ sneaks its way into the tenth spot on the album. While the song is still a little pop, there are one or two elements that try to bump it out of the genre. A filtered vocal line starts off the song, disappearing for a bit, only to reappear occasionally in the verses. At the same time, the main vocal leads the song over some minimal instruments, giving the song a sort of 1980s pop ballad feel. That is the most interesting thing about the song – it should be classified as pop yet doing that feels wrong. Of course, that makes it a difficult song to hate, even though it's not really all that good either.

“BOOST+BUSTERz” takes us back to the familiar hip-hop sound that we have come to expect from LM.C. Unfortunately, there is nothing innovating or interesting about this song. Even the “Boost Busterz” chorus sounds a lot like they are saying “Ghostbusters,” which led me to believe they were sampling the old ‘80s song. Even the rest of the song sounds like something that came out of the late-80/early-90s hip-hop/rock mash-ups only with a little more of an edge to it. I'm starting to think that their earlier works aren't nearly as good as their newer stuff. That is why I'm glad this song ends the GLB spree.

Back to new material for SGLB, the manic “La Dee Da” runs us all over the place. Drums dominate for most of the song, giving the song a bit of a techno-type feel to it, while the guitar tries to keep it firmly in the rock arena. The result is actually quite interesting. Switching between all the different sounds should be confusing but it's not. Instead, there is a feeling of desperation that comes through. For once, this is a song that would be perfect as the theme song for a show like Death Note.

Nearing the end of the album, “little Fat Man boy” is a fast-paced rock song with a bit of a hidden meaning if you don't know your history. On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb named ‘Little Boy’ on Hiroshima. Then, on August 9, 1945, the U.S. detonated ‘Fat Man’ over Nagasaki. This song is an extremely sad, yet very direct, reference to those bombs. With a harsh electric guitar leading the way, the vocals sound a little too carefree as the voice of ‘Little Boy.’ As terrible as the situation was, it is an amazing song with an amazing message – no more bombs.

The last of the GLB re-releases is “Yellow Beauty.” Next to “METALLY,” “Beauty” is probably the best of this group of songs. It has a steady, rocking instrumental paired with a calm, yet firm, vocal. There isn't anything new here; it is just a good, solid rock song. A little bit of something typical from a band that is anything but.

Finally, the album ends with “BOYS&GIRLS,” the second opening theme for Katekyo Hitman Reborn!. From the very beginning, the song gets you pumped up and ready to dance. The drums and guitar share the spotlight while a keyboard tinkles away in the background. As for the vocals, they are upbeat enough to make you want to jump around your bedroom while not going overboard. To make it even better, a little over the two and a half minute mark, you'll hear a bit of Pachelbel's Canon in D. I only wish this song appeared earlier in the album.

While Super Glitter Loud Box is mostly rehashes of previously released material, there are some absolute gems. It is worth skipping past songs like “CRAZY A GO GO” to find the “OH MY JULIET” or “METALLY” pieces. After a showing like this, I can only hope that Gimmical Impact has more amazing new tracks from this talented duo.